Virgin sets new speed record on London-LA flight
A Virgin Atlantic flight from London broke the speed record for a Boeing 787 as it headed to Los Angeles on Monday.
The flight reached a ground speed of 801 mph as it crossed the US east coast 35,000 feet above Pennsylvania, thanks to a strong jet stream, arriving in LA 48 minutes ahead of schedule.
The Boeing 787 jet has a normal cruising speed of 561mph.
The US National Weather Service said the Jetstream on Monday reached 231 mph, the strongest for 50 years, causing other aircraft to reach unusually high speeds.
A Los Angeles to New York flight reached 678 mph above Ohio, while a 737 from Chicago to New York clocked 700mph.
The previous fastest transatlantic speed for a 787 was recorded last year by Norwegian, which reached 779mph thanks to a tail wind of 224mph.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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